Gobabis: Chairperson of the National Council Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Housing, Christopher Likuwa, has called for a whole-of-society approach to address Namibia's escalating road accident crisis. Speaking during a public engagement in Gobabis on Tuesday, Likuwa emphasized that road safety should be treated as a national development priority.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the standing committee is conducting public hearings on the National Council motion titled 'The Urgent Need for Critical Measures to Combat the Rising Road Accidents Crisis in Namibia'. The aim is to gather evidence-based recommendations to reduce road traffic fatalities. Likuwa stressed that road accidents are not just statistics in reports but represent lives suddenly interrupted, affecting families and communities.
Likuwa highlighted that the National Council has placed the issue firmly on the national agenda, underscoring that road safety is a national development imperative. It extends beyond transport-related concerns, touching on public health, economic stability, and the state's fundamental responsibility to protect human life. Achieving objectives like Vision 2030, the Sixth National Development Plan, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will require safe and reliable transport systems that support economic growth, regional integration, tourism, and trade.
He urged stakeholders to adopt the internationally recognized safe system approach, noting that attributing road crashes solely to driver behavior is insufficient. The safe system approach acknowledges human error and calls for transport systems to be designed, managed, and regulated to prevent such errors from leading to death or serious injury. This requires improved road infrastructure, vehicle inspection systems, law enforcement, emergency medical response services, and protection for vulnerable road users.
Likuwa described the engagement as part of Parliament's evidence-based oversight role, stating that stakeholder contributions will help shape practical recommendations informed by the realities experienced across Namibia's regions.